Ankou Picture

I'm sorta way into monsters right now. Not that the Ankou is a monster. It's more a mythological creature. I read about it yesterday and through this together today. Working on something a little closer to minimalism, I guess.

So yeah- this is an Ankou, which is the personification of Death in the Breton culture. It seems to have influenced the modern personification of Death quite a bit, don't you think? The Ankou was the first to carry a scythe, but what made it really cool was it's origin story-

The last person to die each year in each parish became the Ankou for that parish for the following year- it was their responsibility to care for and escort the souls of the departed to the next place. In years with particularly high death rates, the parish residents could blame the Ankou for being greedy. It makes the whole thing kinda homey and almost sweet.

A lot of times the Ankou is portrayed driving a black carriage flanked by ghostly helpers- the only really nesseccary parts are the skeletal form, the big hat, and the scythe. The lantern is tangential- it has to be present, but it could be hanging from the carriage or held by someone else.